March 11, Pozirk. The Belarusian Armed Forces have launched a drill in response to large-scale exercises of multinational NATO forces near Belarus’ borders.
The “comprehensive drill” involves deployments to designated areas for live-fire training, the defense ministry’s press office said.
The ministry warned of possible temporary restrictions on civilian traffic on public roads.
Viktar Hulevič, chief of staff and first deputy defense minister, said the move comes in response to NATO’s Steadfast Defender.
Belarus will step up the comprehensive drill by involving more troops and equipment, he noted.
Steadfast Defender is a multi-domain exercise, incorporating land, air, sea, cyber and space operations.
It involves deploying forces from North America and other parts of the Alliance to Europe. Over several months, complex multi-domain operations will be conducted across thousands of kilometers, thereby enhancing civil-military cooperation and national and collective resilience.
The exercise is strategically located in several key European countries, including Finland, Estonia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
Events are taking place from late January to the end of May.
